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There was a time in the not-too-distant past when Wardlow wasn't one of the biggest babyfaces in AEW. I know, I know, for more recent fans who just got into Tony Khan's company in 2022, that statement sounds crazy, as the “Wardog” receives some of the biggest pops of any performer in AEW, but it's true; Wardlow was once nothing more than MJF's heavy and his personality was purposefully buried to put over his “salt of the earth” employer.
Between his debut in November of 2019 and his split with MJF in March of 2022, Wardlow was hidden away as MJF's bodyguard, and even once he broke free of the Long Island native's clutches, he had to jump through a slough of hoops to finally earn his freedom and become a full-time member of the AEW roster. He had to crash episodes of Dynamite to come after Friedman, was lashed repeatedly, and even had to wrestle the likes of Lance Archer, W. Morrissey, and Shawn Spears to earn a match at Double or Nothing, all of which he was able to overcome with ease.
And yet, despite years of long-term storytelling and a fantastic build-up to Double or Nothing that got Wardlow over to a near-unimaginable degree, his big match against MJF wasn't quite as exciting as one might think. No, despite seemingly having everything going his way, the MJF drama put a serious damper on what should have been the best day of Wardlow's life, let alone his career in AEW, as he detailed to Stephanie Chase of Digital Spy.
https://twitter.com/stephaniemchase/status/1564363594648674304?s=20&t=OqbxUBS02V0PRhp265sYug
Wardlow still isn't over how his AEW Double or Nothing match went down.
“That should be considered one of the best nights of my life, and it, oh god, it really wasn’t,” Wardlow told to Stephanie Chase of Digital Spy. “Everything that was going on with Max at the time and then in my life personally, it’s just nothing was going right. And, and it’s kind of sad that everything built up to this one night, and there was so much that ruined it. Like all of the crap with Max and everything he was pulling, I mean, I showed up that day not knowing if I was wrestling. Like that, there’s a lot more I could say about it, I don’t want to get angry, but uh, so yeah, that should have been one of the best nights of my life, and obviously, the outcome was amazing, but I really didn’t ever have the opportunity to enjoy it.”
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Now that's just sad; after putting in the man hours to eventually become a full-on AEW performer, it's a massive bummer to hear that Wardlow's big moment was robbed by MJF threatening to no-show Double or Nothing in order to secure a new contract. Between his decision to skip a fan fest to the presence of a one-way plane ticket to Long Island that may or may not have been booked to get the founder of the Pinnacle out of Nevada, Wardlow's assertion that he didn't know if he was wrestling at DoN is likely correct. Many a fan wondered if he would actually show up for his match, with folks scrambling to figure out a new angle for Wardlow if Friedman opted to skip the show, and even when MJF actually showed up at the show for the opening match of the show, his limited offensive output, when coupled with his decision to run around the ring looking like a plane, left the outcome of the event very much up in the air.
Even after a multi-movement Powerbomb Symphony, Wardlow's win felt hollow, as if his opponent let him have it. Wardlow's win was overshadowed by MJF's out-of-ring issues, and even when he was officially awarded an “Is All Elite” graphic on the jumbotron via an announcement from Tony Schiavone as the crowd cheered on, Wardlow looked more shocked than elated and would have to watch a few days later as his former friend threw an absolute tantrum on the mic in what would be his final appearance on AEW programming since.
Fortunately, with MJF gone, Wardlow has been thriving. He secured the win over Scorpio Sky to become a one-time TNT Champion, re-teamed up with FTR in a babyfaced reunion of the Pinnacle, and is scheduled to wrestle with Cash Wheeler, and Dax Harwood at All Out in a trios match versus Jay Lethal and the Motor City Machine Guns Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley. Assuming MJF doesn't return to the show to ruin their fun, All Out should be yet another big-time opportunity for Wardlow to prove who he is as a standalone performer and one-time champion.
